Haerthstone Craftsbury vs. Jotul F3CB plus one more question

[Intheswamp]

In looking around it seems that the Hearthstone Craftsbury is a similar sized stove as the F3CB. Does anybody have any thoughts as to one having an edge over the other one or just points of difference between the two?

The Craftsbury is noted as having a 1.5 sqft firebox but that specification isn't given (that I can find) for the F3CB...anybody know about what size the F3's firebox is?

Thanks....again!
Ed

ETA: It looks like the Craftsbury is 4-5 inches deeper (front to back) than the F3CB...

 

[begreen]

The F3CB is a little over 1 cu ft if I recall correctly. The Craftsbury appears to have the larger firebox. It also has a 28 1/4" high flue exit.

 

[thechimneysweep]

The Craftsbury appears to have the larger firebox. It also has a 28 1/4” high flue exit.

Only the removable flue collar, which is way at the back behind the firebox, is that tall, BG. The stove itself is 26-1/8" tall. Assuming this firebox extends upward a few inches behind the 27" high lintel bar, the Craftsbury should work here.

 

[begreen]

Good point. I was thinking outside of the (fire)box. Sometimes thinking inside the box is better!

 

[Intheswamp]

...as Ed crawls into his corner to peer through bloodshot eyes at the dog-eared manuals again.

Ed

(And trust me, dog-earing a manual on a computer screen *is* hard work)

 

[summit]

#3 more solid stove than the craftsbury. We do alot of #3's, never a complaint... on the other hand we've sold 3 craftsburys, and 2 returned and had to price them used. I think we still have one, as a matter of fact.... however it earned the name "crapsbury" around our shop.

 

[Fsappo]

I have sold hundreds of 3cbs and always had happy customers. Even though I am a Hearthstone dealer, I have never sold a Craftsbury..not on purpose, it just never happened. After hearing what Summit said, I think I may continue not selling them. Another good small cast iron stove we have a lot of good feedback on is the Regency Hampton. May wanna look at one if you havent already.

 

[summit]

Most common complaints on the Craftsbury (crapsbury)..

1. Bad handles... very cheesy, fall away handle is badly designed, can't take the torque of closing the door, breaks away from its nub.
2. Bad ashpan design... hard to get the pan door to latch correctly every time.
3. cruddy little baffle, easy to hit with a log, breaks easilly.
4. fit and finish not so nice: cast panels often slightly off line, lots of refractory cement spooged over the enamel.
5. The big one: Hard to get going. I know this has chimney draft implications, but the ones that were brought back were replaced by #3's and they started up easy, no complaints. I think it has to do with the overall mass of the crapsbury in relation to the little firebox. It is a HEAVY stove for it's size: thick casts, and lined w/ soapstone firebrick. Getting a big enough fire going in that tiny fire box to draft correctly is hard with all that mass sucking up the heat from the starting fire.

 

[Fsappo]

Just from looking at the photos I suspected the handles and ash pan may be an issue. Thanks for the feedback

 

[begreen]

Another small, 1 cu ft stove that will work here is the Morso 2110. It's a solid stove and a good heater.

Franks, can you tell me a bit more about the Hampton H200 stove? I hadn't recommended it (nor the Quadrafire Yosemite) because of the side loading door. At 27 5/8" tall, it looks like the stove is just a skosh too tall for lintel clearance here. But I'd like to know more about it regardless. It's a nice looker. How well do the vermiculite panels stand up?

 

[begreen]

Looking closer, it seems the Quadrafire Yosemite would easily fit here. Worth considering.

 

[Intheswamp]

Thanks everybody for the comments. I think I'm going to back off of the Craftsbury for now. I like the bigger firebox, but...

From the pictures I was wondering about the handles, too, Franks. Thanks for the points of contention, summit. The Craftsbury might work for me, but...I'll pass for now.

BG, I'm headin' off to look at the Morso 2110 and the Quadrafire Yosemite....

Returning to my regularly scheduled thread with updates on finding a stove and stove seller... Certifiable nut looking for a stove (insert?) in south Alabama

Thanks everybody for the feedback,
Ed

 

[begreen]

Yosemite's firebox is ~ 1.4 cu ft I believe.

 

[Jukeboxfun]

Most common complaints on the Craftsbury (crapsbury)..

1. Bad handles... very cheesy, fall away handle is badly designed, can't take the torque of closing the door, breaks away from its nub.
2. Bad ashpan design... hard to get the pan door to latch correctly every time.
3. cruddy little baffle, easy to hit with a log, breaks easilly.
4. fit and finish not so nice: cast panels often slightly off line, lots of refractory cement spooged over the enamel.
5. The big one: Hard to get going. I know this has chimney draft implications, but the ones that were brought back were replaced by #3's and they started up easy, no complaints. I think it has to do with the overall mass of the crapsbury in relation to the little firebox. It is a HEAVY stove for it's size: thick casts, and lined w/ soapstone firebrick. Getting a big enough fire going in that tiny fire box to draft correctly is hard with all that mass sucking up the heat from the starting fire.

1. Yes
2. Yes
3. Yes
4. Maybe
5. Maybe

With these negatives, I must say this little stove will burn HOT enough to heat my entire 1200 sq. ft. rancher. I do have to watch that it doesn't overfire as I have a strong draft.

 

[rcjarrell]

Most common complaints on the Craftsbury (crapsbury)..

1. Bad handles... very cheesy, fall away handle is badly designed, can't take the torque of closing the door, breaks away from its nub.
2. Bad ashpan design... hard to get the pan door to latch correctly every time.
3. cruddy little baffle, easy to hit with a log, breaks easilly.
4. fit and finish not so nice: cast panels often slightly off line, lots of refractory cement spooged over the enamel.
5. The big one: Hard to get going. I know this has chimney draft implications, but the ones that were brought back were replaced by #3's and they started up easy, no complaints. I think it has to do with the overall mass of the crapsbury in relation to the little firebox. It is a HEAVY stove for it's size: thick casts, and lined w/ soapstone firebrick. Getting a big enough fire going in that tiny fire box to draft correctly is hard with all that mass sucking up the heat from the starting fire.

I have had a Crafstbury for 3 years now. Here is my perspective:
1 - never been an issue.
2 - Never use the ashpan. I just scoop the ashes out of the firebox.
3 - The baffle is a bit fragile, but I just pay attention to what I am doing and have had no issues.
4 - Fit and finish is great on mine.

the big one...

5 - Yep. It took me a while to learn how to get a good fire going. Starting it up from cold is tricky. With mine, I start a small fire and leave the door open for a bit. I make sure the splits I use are relatively small at first to insure a quicker/hotter initial burn. After about 15 minutes, I close the door and let the small fire burn down some while bringing Another thing I like doing is placing one or two short pieces (4-6") running "north-south" under the main stack of wood. This allows air to circulate through the created gap and under the larger pieces of wood. This little tip helped sooo much.

Once the stove is up to temperature, it burns great. A restart from a warm stove is a piece of cake. Even a restart in the morning is usually pretty easy because the soapstone bricks retain so much heat. I rarely need more than a crumpled up piece of newspaper added to the wood to get it going at full speed.

 

[Rob From Wisconsin]

Most common complaints on the Craftsbury (crapsbury)..

1. Bad handles... very cheesy, fall away handle is badly designed, can't take the torque of closing the door, breaks away from its nub.
2. Bad ashpan design... hard to get the pan door to latch correctly every time.
3. cruddy little baffle, easy to hit with a log, breaks easilly.
4. fit and finish not so nice: cast panels often slightly off line, lots of refractory cement spooged over the enamel.
5. The big one: Hard to get going. I know this has chimney draft implications, but the ones that were brought back were replaced by #3's and they started up easy, no complaints. I think it has to do with the overall mass of the crapsbury in relation to the little firebox. It is a HEAVY stove for it's size: thick casts, and lined w/ soapstone firebrick. Getting a big enough fire going in that tiny fire box to draft correctly is hard with all that mass sucking up the heat from the starting fire.

I have had a Crafstbury for 3 years now. Here is my perspective:
1 - never been an issue.
2 - Never use the ashpan. I just scoop the ashes out of the firebox.
3 - The baffle is a bit fragile, but I just pay attention to what I am doing and have had no issues.
4 - Fit and finish is great on mine.

the big one...

5 - Yep. It took me a while to learn how to get a good fire going. Starting it up from cold is tricky. With mine, I start a small fire and leave the door open for a bit. I make sure the splits I use are relatively small at first to insure a quicker/hotter initial burn. After about 15 minutes, I close the door and let the small fire burn down some while bringing Another thing I like doing is placing one or two short pieces (4-6") running "north-south" under the main stack of wood. This allows air to circulate through the created gap and under the larger pieces of wood. This little tip helped sooo much.

Once the stove is up to temperature, it burns great. A restart from a warm stove is a piece of cake. Even a restart in the morning is usually pretty easy because the soapstone bricks retain so much heat. I rarely need more than a crumpled up piece of newspaper added to the wood to get it going at full speed.

Cool!
It sounds like the Craftsbury is finally a small stove that is intended for the 24/7 burner!
I had the Jotul 3CB, and probably the biggest gripe I had was come morning, it was always
a cold, start-from-scratch burn. Now that we have the Hearthstone Tribute (cousin to the Craftsbury),
we totally appreciate the warm start-up fire that is given via Soapstone.

 

[DanCorcoran]

Per Summit: "It is a HEAVY stove for it’s size: thick casts, and lined w/ soapstone firebrick."

I have a Heathstone Shelburne (next size larger than the Craftsbury cast iron stove). I've seen nothing in the literature or online to suggest that either one is lined with soapstone. My Shelburne is lined with ordinary firebrick. How did you determine that the Craftsbury is lined with soapstone?

 

[begreen]

They don't make a big deal of it, but it is in the manual for the Craftsbury:
BREAKING IN YOUR WOOD STOVE

It is imperative that your stove be "broken in"
slowly. Cast iron must be "seasoned"; overfiring
a new stove may cause castings to crack
or may damage other stove parts.

The soapstone on the back and bottom in your
firebox is intended to prevent thermal stress;
leave it in place in the firebox at all times.

 

[DanCorcoran]

Thanks for the info! This is the same section from my Shelburne manual:

"The firebrick on the back and left side in your
firebox is intended to prevent thermal stress;
leave it in place in the firebox at all times."

Obviously, a change from the Craftsbury to the Shelburne...

 

[tbuff]

I will be going on my 3rd season with my little Craftsbury, and to date I must say I love it. I had an issue with the handle and the dealer replaced it free of charge under warrenty, besides that it keeps my house nice an toasty through the winter as it is my primary heat source. Years ago I was burning about 500gallons of fuel oil in heating season, with the temp set to 65'f. Now once I fire up the Craftsbury, it burns all winter long. in the past three winters I've burned less than 75 gallons and that was becuase we went on a short vacation. Sorry to ramble.

 

[begreen]

Thanks for the update tbuff. It's good to hear that the little guy is working well for you.